Short Barrelled .308 discussion/advice/experience

R

Rolling Thunder

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Good day CGNers,

I did the cardinal sin of trying to gather as much info off of Google however I have just come up with more questions for my rifle and hand loads.

Both my brother and I have grown quite fond of these compact .308 rifles. The Rem 700 and the BCL.

Being a long time hand loader; my first issue presented itself with the amount of grains of Varget I used along with the Hornady manual for 165 gr projectiles, would have made a dangerous compressed load.

My research turned up lots of variance in answers and solution as well as turned up software such as QuickLOAD that may help with load development.

I’m turning to my great community to ask some open discussion mixed with hopeful years of experience and advice on how I can start making a load for these types of rifles. They are so much fun to shoot and I have factory ammo that touches bullets at 100yards shot from the same gun. Current supplies make finding the ammo less than consitent.

Has anyone used this software QuickLOAD? Is it worth the money?

Has anyone had success with loading A) .308 with 165gr GMX bullets and Varget powder and B) loading any combinations of 165 gr .308 for short barrel rifles (9.5-10.5”)?

What advice would you provide for loading 165 gr that has such low bullet in barrel time?

Any advice would be great, thank you in advance fellow CGNers!
 
Gordon’s reloading tool works fairly well in place of quickload. And it’s free.
Same as quickloads though. You need to learn the proper inputs to make it work. Case water weight being one of them.
 
I've owned quite a few 18 inch 308's. Ended up with 150-155 gr bullets as the top choices in all of them. You lose a fair bit of velocity over longer barrels with heavier bullets. They certainly will work, and some were very accurate, but because I was using them for hunting I wanted game bullets over target bullets. Also made up a load with 147 gr fmj's for practice that worked surprisingly well. Fwiw. - dan
 
:agree:

I have a 16" 308 and wouldn't go over 155gr
the velocity loss is significant IMO
it is my bush rifle but I wouldn't use monometals past 100y (even though it shoots great with 150gr TSX)
 
I run 125gr Nosler Ballistic Tips in my 20" barrel. They come out at 3100 fps and I've shot them to 700 yds.

If heavier bullets are an issue w short barrels then lightweight bullets would seem to be the way to go.
 
YES - this is exactly the discussion I was looking for.
I am planning on using this setup for hunting so consistency and reliability is a high priority. Bullet weight of 165gr is really only because I have some bulk hunting ammo I got years ago that is 165gr - I shoot this out of a 16.5” bbl and I consistently touch bullets at 100yards.
My goal is to work up a recipe that is just as consistent. I like the 165gr for the wide variety of projectiles available for big game.
Lots of research has turned up plenty of evidence leaning to the lighter projectile and more speed, however with the real world evidence out of the 16.5” bbl the heavier bullets works very well.
 
Have you run the factory loads over a Chronograph? I’d be curious what speeds you’re getting. That might help you in your search as well. If you want to try and duplicate it.

That said I would run lighter if I was buying them new. What is the twist rate in your barrels ? My new 308 is a 1:10 at 24” an my goal is to run the 168 to 175 class bullets.

I also agree Gordon’s Reloading Tool is great once you get the hang of it.

B
 
I switched to lead core bullets of 150g to get more velocity out of shorter brls so bullet has enough energy to upset itself. I tried the barnes 165 and 150 but could not get enough velocity out of short barrels and they just penciled through. When checking what bullet your going to use, check the velocity range that they are designed to be used at
 
bdb.hunting said:
Have you run the factory loads over a Chronograph? I’d be curious what speeds you’re getting. That might help you in your search as well. If you want to try and duplicate it.

That said I would run lighter if I was buying them new. What is the twist rate in your barrels ? My new 308 is a 1:10 at 24” an my goal is to run the 168 to 175 class bullets.

I also agree Gordon’s Reloading Tool is great once you get the hang of it.

B
Click to expand...

I have four precision 308's, twists are 1-10, 11 and 12. Barrel lengths range from 24 to 27 inches. 3 of the 4 do best with 175/178 gr bullets. The other thrives with 190's. Target shooting is different than hunting though. - dan
 
Your initial post does not specify if you are looking to punch holes in paper targets or taking game animals - very different desires - target shooter tend to focus on from chamber to target - hunters typically focussed also on what happens AFTER the bullet hits the intended target. There is a great quote from Speedy Gonzales - now-a-days likely considered to be an old-time bench rest shooter type - he does not care how fast the bullet is going, when it goes through the same hole as the previous bullet.
 
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